Dear EarthTalk: How is it that global warming could cause an increase in health problems and disease epidemics? Do we have any evidence that it is already happening? - Jim Merrill, Provo, Utah

Global warming isn't just bad for the environment. There are several ways that it is expected to take a toll on human health. For starters, the extreme summer heat that is becoming more normal in a warming world can directly impact the health of billions of people.

"Extreme high air temperatures contribute directly to deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory disease, particularly among elderly people," reports the World Health Organization (WHO). "In the heat wave of summer 2003 in Europe, for example, more than 70,000 excess deaths were recorded."

WHO adds that high temperatures also play a role in elevated levels of ozone and other air pollutants known to exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular problems. And according to the non-profit Union of Concerned Scientists, warmer temperatures and higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide can stimulate plants to grow faster, mature earlier and produce more potent allergens. "Common allergens such as ragweed seem to respond particularly well to higher concentrations of carbon dioxide, as do pesky plants such as poison ivy. Allergy-related diseases rank among the most common and chronic illnesses . . . ." reports the group.

Another way global warming is bad for our health is that it increases extreme weather events that can injure or kills large numbers of people. According to WHO, the number of weather-related natural disasters has more than tripled since the 1960s. Likewise, increasingly variable rainfall patterns combined with higher overall temperatures are leading to extended droughts around the world. "By the 2090s, climate change is likely to widen the area affected by drought, double the frequency of extreme droughts and increase their average duration sixfold," reports WHO. One result is likely to be a downturn in agricultural productivity along with a spike in malnutrition. Another is less access to safe drinking water, a trigger for poor sanitation and the spread of diarrheal diseases - not to mention resource wars.

Perhaps most worrying to public health experts, though, is the potential for global warming to cause a spike in so-called "vector-borne diseases" like schistosomiasis, West Nile virus, malaria and dengue fever. "Insects previously stopped by cold winters are already moving to higher latitudes (toward the poles)," reports UCS. Researchers predict that thanks to global warming an extra 2 billion people, mostly in developing countries, will be exposed to the dengue virus over the next half century.

A related fear is that thawing permafrost in polar regions could allow otherwise dormant age-old viruses to re-emerge. Earlier this year, French and Russian researchers discovered a 30,000 year old giant virus, previously unknown to science, in frozen soil in Russia's most northerly region. While the virus, which researchers dubbed Pithovirus sibericum, is harmless to humans and animals, its discovery has served as a wake-up call to epidemiologists about the potential re-emergence of other viruses that could make many people sick. While some of these re-emergent viruses might also be new to science, others could be revitalized versions of ones we thought we had eradicated, such as smallpox.

source: www.sacbee.com

Global warming isn't just bad for the environment. There are several ways that it is expected to take a toll on human health. For starters, the extreme summer heat that is becoming more normal in a warming world can directly impact the health of billions of people.

"Extreme high air temperatures contribute directly to deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory disease, particularly among elderly people," reports the World Health Organization (WHO). "In the heat wave of summer 2003 in Europe, for example, more than 70,000 excess deaths were recorded."

WHO adds that high temperatures also play a role in elevated levels of ozone and other air pollutants known to exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular problems. And according to the non-profit Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), warmer temperatures and higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide can stimulate plants to grow faster, mature earlier and produce more potent allergens. "Common allergens such as ragweed seem to respond particularly well to higher concentrations of carbon dioxide, as do pesky plants such as poison ivy. Allergy-related diseases rank among the most common and chronic illnesses..." reports the group.

Another way global warming is bad for our health is that it increases extreme weather events that can injure or kills large numbers of people. According to WHO, the number of weather-related natural disasters has more than tripled since the 1960s. Likewise, increasingly variable rainfall patterns combined with higher overall temperatures are leading to extended droughts around the world. "By the 2090s, climate change is likely to widen the area affected by drought, double the frequency of extreme droughts and increase their average duration six-fold," reports WHO. One result is likely to be a downturn in agricultural productivity along with a spike in malnutrition. Another is less access to safe drinking water, a trigger for poor sanitation and the spread of diarrheal diseases—not to mention resource wars.

Perhaps most worrying to public health experts, though, is the potential for global warming to cause a spike in so-called "vector-borne diseases" like schistosomiasis, West Nile virus, malaria and dengue fever. "Insects previously stopped by cold winters are already moving to higher latitudes (toward the poles)," reports UCS. Researchers predict that thanks to global warming an extra two billion people, mostly in developing countries, will be exposed to the dengue virus over the next half century.

A related fear is that thawing permafrost in Polar Regions could allow otherwise dormant age-old viruses to re-emerge. Earlier this year, French and Russian researchers discovered a 30,000 year old giant virus, previously unknown to science, in frozen soil in Russia's most northerly region. While the virus, which researchers dubbed Pithovirus sibericum, is harmless to humans and animals, its discovery has served as a wake-up call to epidemiologists about the potential re-emergence of other viruses that could make many people sick. While some of these re-emergent viruses might also be new to science, others could be revitalized versions of ones we thought we had eradicated, such as smallpox.

source: www.exchangemagazine.com

Indonesia's high rate of economic growth could fall victim to its high rate of tropical disease, warns a study by a team of U.S.-based academics and disease experts from the World Health Organization.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS One, "An Emerging Market Economy Beset by Neglected Tropical Diseases" reports that Indonesia has some of the world's highest concentrations of these diseases, including dengue and leprosy.

Commonly found in low-income countries recovering from conflict or suffering from poor economic growth, these conditions "impair physical and cognitive development, contribute to mother and child illness" and "make it difficult to farm or earn a living," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That's a worrisome prospect for Indonesia. Economic growth has averaged 6% in recent years, and the middle class is projected to more than double in size over the next decade.

But development agencies say parts of this sprawling archipelago aren't feeling the benefits. In Indonesia's far east, for example, undernourishment and maternal mortality are widespread.

According to the study, Indonesia is the only country in Southeast Asia with endemic schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease prevalent in communities without potable water or adequate sanitation.

In addition, almost 10% of the world's new leprosy cases occur in Indonesia, and the World Health Organization warns of "a serious and emerging threat from dengue fever."

An article published in PLoS One last month estimated the economic impact of dengue in Indonesia in 2010 at more than $323 million. Dengue has long been a public-health threat in Southeast Asia, and record numbers of cases have been reported recently in neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, where the article estimates the 2010 impact at $128 million.

If Indonesia doesn't better control these diseases, the new study says, "they could thwart future growth and economic gains because of their adverse impact on child development, labor, and the health of girls and women."

Public-health measures have made some progress. More recently, the Indonesian Ministry of Health has unrolled programs as part of a national action plan aimed at eliminating these diseases. They include education programs that teach children about hand washing and improved sanitation.

But this latest study indicates that if it wants to keep the growth train running, Indonesia will need to step up its outreach.

source: blogs.wsj.com

To raise awareness of and reduce international conflict, the Texas A&M Conflict and Development Center will host Ken Davies, global coordinator of the U.N. World Food Programme's Purchase for Progress initiative. His visit will feature lectures regarding the P4P initiative, food security and HIV in Asia and Africa by Davies and his wife, Dr. Margrethe Juncker.

Ed Price, the Howard G. Buffett chair on Conflict and Development, said both lectures further the purpose of the Conflict and Development Center by addressing world hunger and disease, both of which result from and fuel international conflict.

"The World Food Programme seeks to solve hunger, and hunger is part of the bigger picture of conflict. Hunger poverty and conflict go together," Price said. "Poverty causes hunger, hunger causes conflict, conflict results in disease and poverty. All of the phenomena are very closely related."

Davies' lecture will discuss the United Nation's program to provide food to the most food insecure parts of the world

The Purchase for Progress initiative was started by the World Food Programme and attempts to circumvent the problems caused by solely giving food to developing countries by purchasing food produced by these farmers and providing the food to the local community.

Price said a major problem faced by the World Food Programme was that farmers didn't want to sell their produce to them.

"An interesting observation that began to be clear is that even though there are farmers producing food in these countries, they were unwilling to sell it to the World Food Programme, because the prices were too low, even though the World Food Program tried to buy the food at world market prices, what we would consider a fair market price," Price said. "The farmers in these poor countries couldn't afford to sell it. They said their cost of production was far above what the world food price was."

This issue prompted the analysis of farmer's production costs in the countries where The World Food Programme was attempting to buy produce. Texas A&M conducted this study in conjunction with P4P, and Price said the study revealed that the increased production costs stemmed from antiquated technology.

"Beginning three years ago we went to three countries — Sierra Lion, Liberia and the southern Sudan — to analyze the cost of production of food by farmers and find out why they couldn't sell it," Price said. "Sure enough, we found that farmers cost of production was very high, mainly because farmer's level of technology was very low. They were using technology that required enormous amounts of labor. In effect their cost of production was far above the world market price."

Juncker's lecture will highlight her work with people with HIV in poor African and Asian communities and will include a documentary detailing the life of an HIV-positive widow at Reach Out Mbuya Parish HIV/AIDS Initiative.

"These events are open to everybody," said Melanie Balinas, Conflict and Development's communications manager. "While Dr. Juncker's lecture will take place in the school of rural public health, there's also a lot of general interest to be found in the international aspect in her work with developing communities."

Sophomore biochemistry major Hyunjin Lee said as HIV is a serious global issue, people should be willing to learn as much as they can about new methods of assisting HIV-positive individuals.

"People in poverty are much more like to be affected by HIV/AIDS and although it seems obvious, awareness of this issue as well as preventative actions need to be increased," Lee said. "I also think the P4P's effort to lessen world hunger without hurting the local economy is an interesting way of doing things."

Davies' lecture will take place in room 200 of the AGLS Building at 11:30 a.m. Thursday and Juncker's lecture will start at noon in room 111 of the School of Rural Public Health. Both events are open to the public and will be available via live streaming on the ConDev Lecture Series Google Hangouts and later on Youtube.

source: www.thebatt.com

There is a striking increased incidence of many neglected tropical diseases associated with poverty. There are often debates about whether or not the poverty itself, which is associated with increased rates of many diseases, is actually the cause of this problem or the result of deficient minds among people in poverty which leaves them less motivated and capable of competing effectively in society. The facts again and again show that poverty itself is the primary culprit in such instances and that if given a fair chance to rise out of the ashes of poverty most poor people could do just fine competing well in every realm of life.

There are many serious tropical diseases which are seen with increased incidence with poverty, particularly in Indonesia. Indonesia represents an emerging market economy which is beset by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), reported PLOS One. A careful analysis of the situation in Indonesia can therefore serve as a good model to study the effects of extreme poverty on the spread of infectious diseases.

In spite of a large population and a growing economy, Indonesia nevertheless has some of the world's highest concentrations of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). These NTDs may undermine future national growth and recent gains in the country. Indonesia and its Ministry of Health, along with the World Health Organization (WHO), have embarked on an ambitious effort to quickly put together a health and scientific infrastructure which is suitable for eliminating its NTDs.

Indonesia is the world's largest island nation which is made up of approximately 17,000 islands of which 5,000–6,000 are inhabited. This country is the fourth most populated nation behind China, India, and the United States. Alongside the Netherlands, Indonesia has the world's 16th largest economy . The World Bank says that Indonesia together with South Korea and the BRIC, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, and China, will account for more than half of the world's economic growth by 2025.

In spite of the future promise of greater economic gains, Indonesia is also now simultaneously struggling with a staggering level of extreme poverty. Out of a population of about 242 million people, according to the World Bank, an estimated 46 percent, or approximately 111 million people, live on less than $2 per day, while 18 percent, or 44 million people, live on less than $1.25 per day. A potent force which currently traps Indonesia's poorest 111 million people in poverty and may eventually threaten Indonesia's economic potential is a group of NTDs which affect the region. These diseases have the ability to undermine or stall economies because of their negative impact on child development, labor, and the health of girls and women.

The "bottom 111" million people in Indonesia suffer from an extraordinarily high level of NTDs, including:

1. Widespread helminth infections, such as soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections
2. Lymphatic filariasis (LF)
3. Neglected bacterial infections, such as yaws and leptospirosis
4. Endemic schistosomiasis
5. A serious and emerging threat from dengue fever

Clearly, Indonesia's competitiveness is at risk from neglected diseases of poverty, reports the Sabin Vaccine Institute. Scientists have said the control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) is one of the most cost-effective ways Indonesia can sustain economic growth and lower inequality. Indonesia is positioning itself to defeat NTDs by 2020. NTDs are noted as "one of the most potent forces" which traps Indonesia's citizens, especially women and children, in a viscous cycle of poverty.

Lorenzo Savioli, MD, director of the Department of Control of NTDs at the World Health Organization (WHO), said, "Today, 70 percent of the poorest are in fast growing economies and middle income countries like Indonesia. Indonesia's commitment to and investment in controlling and eliminating NTDs could lift millions of Indonesians out of poverty and empower them to lead healthy, productive lives, benefiting the nation as a whole and assuring an equitable distribution of the wealth generated by economic growth." The leadership of Indonesia in carrying out an ambitious national effort to fight NTDs through its Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO and other partners, will also help achieve the WHO NTD roadmap goals by 2020.

Indonesia suffers from the second highest burden of NTDs worldwide. There are an estimated 195 million people, which include 50 million children, who are at risk for soil-transmitted helminths, 125 million people who are at risk for lymphatic filariasis and approximately 25,000 – 50,000 people who are at risk for schistosomiasis. Indonesia has the second largest number of dengue cases worldwide.

Peter Hotez, MD PhD, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, has said, "As Southeast Asia's largest economy, G20 leader, co-chair of the United Nation's High Level Panel on the post-2015 development agenda, and ASEAN member, Indonesia is clearly positioned to make significant advances against NTDs." If Indonesia prioritizes NTDs and ensures that treatment and prevention programs reach all vulnerable communities, Indonesia can dramatically improve the lives of its most marginalized citizens.

NTDs can cause a myriad of health problems, including:

1. Anemia
2. Malnutrition
3. Disability
4. Stigma

These health problems prevent kids from attending school, keep adults from working, and increase the consequences of other diseases, which therefore contributes to decreases in human capital and worker productivity.

A view of the staggering problem of pervasive poverty in Indonesia associated with NTDs helps to raise an awareness of how painful and costly poverty really is. In the United States and other countries poverty has been found to be associated with increased rates of diabetes, obesity, asthma, and malnutrition. The filth associated with poverty is also associated with increased rates of infectious diseases in the United States and elsewhere.

In a world growing smaller with a greater appreciation for an interdependence between people in different nations due to the advent of the internet, it becomes clear nobody should be ignoring these catastrophic health conditions associated with poverty. When a crisis hitting mankind is this tragic on such a wide scale it appears to me acts of omission in dealing with these problems in any corner of the world are a serious matter. I suggest the world community rally behind initiatives to wipe out poverty in every corner of the world.

source: www.emaxhealth.com

HEALTHJUSTICE Philippines, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Department of Health recently held an important forum with speakers from the government, the academe, civil society, and international representatives from our neighboring countries.

Health Promotion (HP) to control and prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is essential because these diseases (as reported by WHO) are responsible for 36 million deaths out of the 58 million in 2008.

In the Philippines, 85,700 people die of cancer, 57,864 of heart disease, 18,512 of diabetes, and 13,473 of lung disease.

The HP Model focuses on health and aims to sustain it.

The NCD epidemic continually increases in low- and middle-income countries particularly in the Philippines. The poor are more prone to getting sick and are further burdened by the excessive medical bills brought about by those diseases, which tend to be chronic, slow in progression, and of long duration.

HealthJustice is an organization that is the resource in research for priority public health policy. It promotes health and focuses on curing, maintaining wellbeing.

This movement is gaining ground globally particularly in Australia, Canada, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, and Finland. We have been learning from the experience of Thailand.

Heath promotion is valuable in the prevention of NCDs that should and can be prevented.

The top four in the Philippines are: lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

According to the recent statistics, these diseases cause the loss of approximately $6 billion including productivity loss from death, disability and from the disease itself.

"Currently, there is a lack of prioritization and sustainable funding for preventive health care measures like Health Promotion that aim to address these NCDs," says Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, Project Director of the SEATCA Initiative on Tobacco Tax (SITT) Project.

Among the speakers were Chulalongkorn University lecturer Dr. Poranee Laoitthi from the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine. She is a Thai pioneer in Health Promotion efforts and conducted a study.

"Through successful legislation and policy changes, Thailand has successfully controlled the common risk factors that lead to NCDs," said Irene Reyes, Managing Director of HealthJustice Philippines.

NCD RISK FACTORS:

• tobacco use
• alcohol use
• physical inactivity
• unhealthy diet
• improper road safety

FAST FACTS:

• NCDs are the leading cause of most preventable deaths in the world.
• Every 1,000 tons of tobacco produced kills 1,000 people.
• Ten Filipinos die every hour.
• The harmful intake of alcohol is associated with over 60 diseases and health conditions.
• 2.5 million people die due to alcohol abuse.
• The Philippines ranks 2nd in Southeast Asia for most alcohol consumed.
• Physical inactivity is the 4th leading cause for mortality globally.
• 3.2 million deaths are caused by insufficient physical activity.
• 20% of Filipino males and 25.7% of Filipino females aren't sufficiently active.
• Diet and nutrition can directly affect the occurrence or prevention of NCDs.
• 24.6% of Filipino males and 28.4% of Filipina females are obese.
• Traffic accidents are the leading cause of injury-related deaths worldwide.
• In the Philippines, road accidents account for 33% of all injuries from external causes
• In 2011, there were 8,175 reported fatalities due to traffic accidents.

There has been a concerted effort to prevent young people from taking up smoking. The sin taxes imposed on liquor and cigarettes have made the basic cost of cigarettes more expensive. But there are cheap smuggled cigarettes that people resort to when they need a fix. Others use the fake e-cigarettes that have nicotine but there is no smoke -- there is only steam. Recent findings have shown that these e-cigarettes are not safe because of the nicotine.

Nicotine is so addictive that people crave for it long after they used up their supply of nicotine patches. Quitting smoking cold turkey is so difficult that the ex-smokers gulp down food.

The Australian poster with the graphic design of a body outline says it all:

"Stop Smoking; Start Repairing"

(The effects of stopping)

"After 1week, your sense of taste and smell return.

...3 months -- Lung function begins to improve.

...8 hours -- excess carbon monoxide oxide (CO) is out of your blood.

...5 days -- Most nicotine is out of the body.

...1 year -- a pack a day smoker saves $4,000.

...12 months -- your risk of disease is halved.

... 12 weeks -- Lungs regain the ability to clear themselves

... 5 years -- Your risk of a strokes has dramatically decreased."

The above is supposed to be the general picture.

However, there are shocking exceptions among ex-smokers.

Some aggressive cancers in the bladder and kidney have been traced to ex-smokers who had quit the habit some 20 years earlier. Fatal lung cancer is directly caused by second-hand smoke. There are more than 10 cancers and the risk of strokes and heart disease and its complications are linked to smoking, many years after the smokers had quit.

Life is precious. We should value our own health and that of our families through regular checkups, preventive physical care such as having a balanced diet with moderate exercise and getting fresh air. Above all, we should keep a positive attitude and minimize stress.

On a lighter note, a century ago, the famous wit Oscar Wilde quarreled with the spirited dancer-actress Sarah Bernhardt during the rehearsal of one of his plays. They argued about how her part should have been interpreted. Having reached an impasse, Wilde drawled, "Do you mind if I smoke, madam?" Bernhardt snapped, "I don't care if you burn."

source: www.bworldonline.com

Remember the old commercial about how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop? Well, if a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, how many spoonfuls get us sick?

The World Health Organization announced Feb. 24 they are cutting in half their recommendation for sugar consumption down to five teaspoons a day. For you soda addicts, that's about half a can's worth.

"If you look at the nutrition facts panel, we are presented with sugar in grams," said nutritionist and registered dietician Melinda Hemmelgarn. "So, when you see on that nutrition facts panel, say 39 grams of sugar in a can of soda, do the math and you'll find out that that's about ten tea spoons."

While sugars in soda come as little surprise, many may be surprised by the degree of sweetener added to ketchup, tacos, and other prepared items. Worse, many times the sources of sugars are not fractioned out. That is, labels don't have to distinguish the difference types of sugar.

"On a milk label customers might say, ''Oh my gosh, there's so much sugar in here'" according to Hemmelgrarn. "But that's naturally occurring sugar from lactose and that is not what this recommendation is really speaking to. It is speaking to added sugar."

If you think the solution is simple or at least artificial, think again. Hemmelgarn warns that "artificial sweeteners are not the answer." Studies have demonstrated they can lead to cancer.

While the World Health's Organization's recommendations may sound dire there does seem to be a silver lining for those with a sweet tooth... portion size. After all, Hemmelgarn admits to indulging daily to a half scoop of organic ice cream.

"You know, I think dilution is the solution... You want to use a little real maple syrup or a little real honey or even a teaspoon of sugar in your coffee. It's when it becomes multiple teaspoons of sugar that's the problem."

source: voiceofrussia.com

A thick blanket of smog covering much of northern China has led the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare a crisis.

Beijing has recorded its sixth day in a row of hazardous pollution with residents being warned to wear masks or stay indoors as a precaution.

Instruments have measured pollution levels above 450 on an air quality index - nine times the safe level for human beings.

Skyscrapers in the Chinese capital are barely visible through the haze.

The smog is even threatening crops, local scientists say, with the lack of sunlight reportedly causing a drastic slowdown in plant photosynthesis.

The authorities raised the pollution alert to the second-highest "orange" danger level for the first time on Friday after drawing public ire for its ineffective response.

"Of course, on days where pollution levels reach or even exceed the scale we are very concerned and we have to see this as a crisis," Bernhard Schwartlander, the WHO representative in China, said.

"There's now clear evidence that, in the long term, high levels of air pollution can actually also cause ... lung cancer."

Authorities have introduced countless orders and policies and made innumerable vows to clean up the environment but the problem only seems to get worse.

The government has invested in projects and empowered courts to mete out stiff penalties but enforcement has been patchy at the local level, where authorities often depend on the taxes paid by the polluting industries.

Hebei, a major industrial region which surrounds Beijing, is home to some of the most polluted cities in China.

Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, routinely recorded "beyond index" measurements of particulate matter in early 2013.

The China Academy of Sciences identified the province as a major source of noxious smog that hung over Beijing a year ago.

The government said in an action plan for Hebei in September that it would ban new projects in certain industries, close outdated steel and cement facilities and slash coal use.

The province has promised to cut total steel capacity by 86 million tonnes - about 40 per cent of last year's production - by 2020. Official data suggests that is starting to happen.

Man tries to sue government over smog

Meanwhile, one man from a smoggy northern city has become the first person in the country to sue the government for failing to curb air pollution, a state-run newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Li Guixin, a resident of Shijiazhuang, has submitted his complaint to a district court, asking the Shijiazhuang Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau to "perform its duty to control air pollution according to the law", the Yanzhao Metropolis Daily said.

He is also seeking compensation from the agency for residents for the choking pollution that has engulfed Shijiazhuang, and much of northern China, this winter.

It is unclear whether the court will accept Mr Li's lawsuit.

"The reason that I'm proposing administrative compensation is to let every citizen see that amid this haze, we're the real victims," Mr Li was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Mr Li says he spent money on face masks, an air purifier and a treadmill to get indoor exercise last December when the pollution was particularly severe.

"Besides the threat to our health, we've also suffered economic losses, and these losses should be borne by the government and the environmental departments because the government is the recipient of corporate taxes, it is a beneficiary," he said.

source: www.abc.net.au